Reuters - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stands behind Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who resigned on Monday night, Rouhani’s chief of staff said on Tuesday, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

Rouhani has not officially accepted Zarif’s resignation, which he announced in an Instagram post.

“The words of the president today in praising his foreign minister are a clear sign of the satisfaction of the representative of the people of Iran about the wise and effective positions and work of Dr. Zarif and a tough response to some biased and incorrect analyses,” Mahmoud Vaezi wrote in an Instagram post that included a picture of Rouhani and Zarif together.

“In the view of Dr. Rouhani, the Islamic Republic of Iran has only one foreign policy and one foreign minister.”


Reporting By Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Kevin Liffey